TEAM PREVIEW: BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Bosnia & Herzegovina - "Zmajevi – the Dragons"

Overview:

The definite Pippi Longstockings of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, BiH are likely the most rag-tag squad of talented overachievers to travel to this tournament. Hailing from a very disunities country, run ineffectively by two separate government adminsitrations, and from a Football Association with a very limited budget and regular trouble with UEFA, Bosnia nevertheless boasts some really interesting in-form players, and could be a major surprise of this tournament, their first ever serious international outing.

The Objective:

Honestly their objective is to make a mark, but given the lack of resources and a very good golden generation most fans and persons who have been watching this team’s progress over the past few years will dare to think Bosnia might just have a chance to leave their difficult group and really make themselves noted as a footballing country to be reckoned with.

Population: 3.8 million

Ethnic Groups: 45% Muslim, 36% Orthodox Christian, 15% Catholic, 4% other… the ethnic gene pool is really too complex to even begin to describe here.

Basically think of it this way, if it has been in Europe and its had a libido then it’s part of the Bosnian heritage!

Registered Football Players: 69,040 that is nearly 2% of the population! Football is well loved in Bosnia, and every town boasts a number of very poorly funded teams, usually held together by volunteers, although private and public sponsorship has been more common in recent years.

Registered Football Clubs: 773

Most Successful Clubs: In the short history of the Premier League FK Željezničar Sarajevo (The Steelers, or more accurately, the railway men) has been the most succesful club. FK Sarajevo were slightly more successful during the Yugoslav era, and Široki Brijeg are also worth mentioning for success in recent years.

All Time Top Scorer: Despite his young age Manchester City’s Edin Džeko is the team’s all-time top scorer with 33 goals.

He is followed by midfield wizard Zvjezdan Misimović with 25 goals who is winding down his great career in China but could still make the trip.

Fenebahce legend Elvir Bolić has 22 goals, and Vedad Ibisevic who is also travelling to Brazil is at 20.

World Cup Performance: Only as part of Yugoslavia, this is their first participation in a major international tournament as an own entity.

Continental Performance:  Not yet, but coming close every time.

How they get their calories:

There is one food emblematic of Bosnia, which was the northern extremity of that whole Ottoman Empire business which stakes a very good claim on having invented fast food:

The Ćevapi or Ćevapčići is a simple but fantastic juicy minced meat treasure shaped in a funnel, served on a floury fresh-baked flat bread and often topped with onions, cream, and cheese, spicy hot pepper paste known as Ajvar, peppers and fresh salt. If you are not a vegetarian, it’s worth travelling to Sarajevo expressly for! (Although Belgrade has a good Bosnian Cevap place or two as well.

A butter-infused thin, crunchy pastry stuffed with ground meat is known as a Burek, again throughout the former Ottoman realm, and is something we used to buy out of the back of a bakery both at 6 in the morning and 2 in the morning for 50 cents. I can tell you its always a good investment ;)… especially when you have onions. Meat and cheese mixed.

Bosanski Lonac is a departure from fast food, this is a slow cooked (really should be made on an open fire) meat and pepper stew, with a vibrant red colour and an appealing assortment of vegetables emerging from the savoury liquid. The ingredients vart, and Bosnian folk saying refer to a rich Lonac and poor Lonac as both being good with different ingredients. The meat is often lamb, and nearly any vegetable could find its way in, but the thick, delicious mixture of spices gives it the name.

Traditionally made from water buffalo milk boiled slowly and skimmed off the top, Kaymak is a delicious cheesy entity that is a spread, a sauce or a wonderful aphrodisiac. If you are looking for a Bosnian magic potion, don’t look further!

The national beer: 

Loads of breweries from previously-neighbouring Austrian influence, and the fact that the Ottomans always fancied a frothy brew despite Islam and all that.

Three good indigenous lagers (but there are more) include Preminger, Hercegovacko, and Tuzlanski Pilsner. There is good water in Bosnia’s mountains, and the beer follows suit as often being very decent.

From the anthem:

Well there is not much sea (a couple of km of coast), lots of fire and smoke (especially when the farmers burn the soil to regenerate it) which you kind of smell in Bosnia all the time, and the whole thing is really put together like an Oedipus complex but here are the lyrics:

You're the light of the soul

Eternal fire's flame

Mother of ours, land of Bosnia

I belong to you

In the heart are yours

Rivers, mountains

Blue sea

Of Bosnia and Herzegovina

How to blend in with the fans:

The country might be young but the football fan culture is not, just wear white yellow and blue, sunglasses are very in.

Be genuinely delighted that your small country is also heading to Brazil, without expecting results or glories.

The stereotype: That Bosnia actually exists as a single unified entity like other countries exist. 

To be fair to all my educated, objective friends who work themselves crazy trying to achieve unity and consensus it might happen, but no one will disagree that Bosnia has real problems.

What their neighbours know: For every stereotype of Bosnia the reverse is also true. Like any mountain republic the diversity, especially in social class, education and worldliness is immense. 

And then you have the enormous amount of expats. Bosnia exists unified only in this sense of common boundaries, and many very separate communities.

That is precisely why the football is so important, as it is one of the few things that can galvanize the nation in front of one screen.

I am optimistic by the number of brilliant, energetic, and educated Bosnian reemerging to make their country, and their capital city Sarajevo the cosmopolitan cultural hub that it was for so long historically.

How they qualified: They almost made it to the 2010 World Cup having been knocked out in the playoffs by Portugal, Bosnia made sure to be top of their group this time around, edging ahead of Greece to win Group G.

Young rising star Izet Hajrović scored a stunning strike to seal the important points to advance.

The sad: Both for South Africa 2010, and for Euro 2012 Bosnia ended up against Portugal in the playoffs, and both times they played valiantly but lost. It’s really hard to be so close twice and hit a wall twice… but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

The happy joy joy: The celebrations in Sarajevo and internationally (with so many Bosnian expats everywhere) were like the team actually won the World Cup this time around.

An overview: Bosnia has two things going for it, a core number of top if not world class players, and a reliable pool of hard workers to back them up. The whole thing works very well, is very well organized, and the team has had many years of trial and error to gel, albeit under different coaches.

Besides the obvious Manchester City, Roma, Lazio and Stoke stars Bosnia has no shortage of “forgotten” players who actually make huge impact for their top-level club teams throughout Europe.

Because this is their first major tournament the expectations are not high, but it is not irrational to expect them to actually thrive under this lack of pressure, and harness their talents and cohesion and give us an enjoyable surprise or two in June (with a very outside chance of still being thereabouts in July).

The Song:

This beautiful Bosnian love song perfectly encompass the Bosnian team and spirit... a touching bitter-sweet love-song about "my aching soul" :

Team Strength: 

Bosnia is a prime example of a very balanced Balkan side which basically mixes all types of players imaginable into a cohesive, effective unit. Their strength is the fact that nothing is really expected of them and that this is a fantastic adventure for them and their countrymen.

Bosnia has a good number of highly reliable goal scorers and playmaking players.

Team Weakness:

Untested quality, lack of experience, and a rather slow and aging back line.

The lack of defensive speed translates to an inability to play a high defensive line for sustained periods of time and to maintain pressure on their opponents.

The Goalkeeping Department: 7.6

Pundits are divided if Stoke’s Asmir Begovic is actually a great goalkeeper or over-rated. 26 is young for a keeper and he seems to be improving by the season.

I feel Begovic is a great shot stopper, and very good in the air, his commanding presence can really give Bosnia a boost, but his backups are inexperienced, and although they might be decent the atmosphere of the World Cup might bring out too many nerves.

Defenders: 7.2

Good defenders, but lacking speed and mobility for the most part. Emir Spahić is the best of the lot having played for Sevilla and Leverkusen among others, but he picks up a lot of cards and is known for a rather ferocious, gladiatorial, style of play. Basically although they are good, conservative defenders, the tactical options are limited for Bosnia.

The middle: 8.4

The form of Bosnia’s talented midfield players has been superb this season for their clubs, so I am raising the rating a bit. Capable of attacking effectively on the flanks and through the middle, and bringing in the onrushing wingbacks or serving the giant Dzeko with accurate headers, Bosnia’s midfield does the job offensively, although it lacks experience in defensive midfield it makes up for it with young talent.

Flair, power, a great pass or cross and long-distance scoring means you cannot actually rate Bosnia lower than 8.4.

The attack: 8.3

Great players, with different skill sets, but only two of them. Ibisevic and Dzeko combine and complement each other very well, but are not always deployed together. They are both game changers, and score with ease for club and country, but a single injury (Ibisevic having fallen behind Dzeko in reputation mainly due to frequent injuries) could heavily damage the team’s versatility.

The coach:  7.9

Franco-Bosnian Safet Sušić took over for the legendary Miroslav Blažević (who had taken Croatia 98 to third place) in 2010 and failed with the team to qualify for Euro 2012. He did however build up the squad with young talent, and the diplomatic ability to convince expat players to choose Bosnia.

He is a young coach who seems to have an extraordinary bond with his team, and although perhaps some might accuse him incorrectly that lacks in experience and tactical versatility, he has motivational power and brought Bosnia to dominate their qualifying group up until the end. Experience he does not lack, as he was a key playmaker for Yugoslavia for many years.

He was a star with PSG and coached in France afterwards, and there is something about this team that really reminds me of the PSG of the 1990s with a good command of pace-changes and a quick route and build-up alternating. Susic himself was an exceptional 1.74cm attacking midfielder, much like Miralem Pjanic, and won 54 caps scoring and impressive 21 goals.

I really believe that he is fully capable of having his humble team make an impact at this tournament, as he represents the best of that fantastic 1990s and 80s Yugoslav footballing tradition that is still very relevant today.

The Tactics:

After playing several years in a 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 Bosnia have shifted to a very functional 4-1-3-2 alternated with a 4-4-2 diamond under Susic.

This allows them to divide defensive from offensive priorities effectively for most players, and leave their top players (Dzeko and Pjanic really) to have more tactical freedom.

While many opponents might expect Bosnia to be a defensive team, their strength and priority is in the attack, and the ability to score against most opponents. Even when Bosnia has lost against bigger teams in recent years, as for example Portugal, the game was always balanced and Bosnia created great chances.

Everybody knows…. Edin Džeko scored his 24^th goal of the season for Manchester City this week, and can join the long list of strikers that Manuel Pellegrini has “repaired” including the likes of Forlan, Rossi, or Guillermo Franco.

The reason he scores is because he knows how to use his substantial physique, time runs to perfection, and position himself to maximum advantage in and outside the box. He is as dangerous with his head and with his feet, and even when playing alone and isolated, he consumes the defence’s energy tirelessly. Dzeko is really in fine form this season, and it should translate to a decent World Cup performance.

Should be more famous….  Lazio’s left flank steamroller Senad Lulić has an enormous amount of inertia, competent defensive ability, and a killer cross to boost. Once you give this play space on the left, to overlap a winger for instance, he is no less than one of the world’s best left backs. Don’t believe me? Lulic will be an important figure in a club even bigger than Lazio come next season.

His powerful bulldozing runs on the left often put his cannon trained on goal within 20 meters or so, and often that cannon finds home.

No one has heard off…  Powerful central defensive wall Ermin Bičakčić was a key man for unfancied Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2.Bundesliga, but his performances have been a big reason why the club gained promotion to the top flight and put in a good run to survival this season. A product of the Stuttgart Youth Academy, Bicakcic is energetic and gets regular goals.

His athleticism and youthful energy have been a reason that Susic often picks him as the man to partner Spahic in central defence.

Unfulfilled talent: Haris Medunjanin moved as a kid refugee to Holland and was introduced to top flight football by AZ Alkmaar, and seemed for a time like one of the biggest prospects in Europe. At a 188 cm Medunjanin is very technical, and plays with a lot of flair, and looked highly impressive with Valladolid 2008-2010 scoring six goals from midfield, and attracting scouts from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Roma and Dortmund.

He chose quick money over development, and after a good stint with Macabi Tel Aviv, he moved on loan to Gaziantepspor where he has not been in great form in 2013. At 29, he could very much still be a “very late bloomer” because the flair and talent where always there, and Susic still calls him up for Bosnia despite his below-capacity club play. The technical giant might have gotten a bit lazy, but his freekicks and long range shots can be highly effective.

Still going…  Zvjezdan Misimović has bags of talent as a midfield playmaker but was probably stopped from having an even greater career due rather feeble athletic traits. Despite his lack of pace and strength, he grabbed record numbers of assists in a season (27) when he was a key man for Wolfsburg landing a surprise Bundesliga title, and brought his Bundesliga tally to a very impressive 48 goals from midfield.

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He made an acclaimed moved to Galatasaray only for Hagi to declare that he was not wanted, but made a better move to Dinamo Moscow where he became a central fixture netting 8 goals. Even though he moved to China to join countryman Zlatan Muslimović with Guizhou Renhe, his performances there have still been great, and although Susic does not force him to travel for friendlies, it is hard to imagine Bosnia’s most capped player, and second all-time goalscorer will not be brought along for his value in scoring set pieces and always managing to create something out of nothing in key matches.

Although he doesn’t look it, Misimovic is just one of those players, no wonder Hagi didn’t like him!

The heart of the team…. Roma has had an incredibly good season under Rudi Garcia, and no player has been as much at the center of it as Miralem Pjanić. Pjanic moved to Luxembourg with his parents during the war, and at a very early age drew interest from many clubs internationally before choosing to move across the border to Metz in France where he immediately got into the first team. The small, boyish-looking Pjanic has been bagging goals and putting in brilliant performances in Europe for many seasons now, after impressive Champions League outing with Lyon earlier.

He is a central midfield playmaker out and out, with a killer pass, exceptional timing, and an eagle’s eye and sixth sense for spectacular goals. If Bosnia surprises, Pjanic will be at the centre of it.

Just watch this video of his goal against Milan just last week!

The goalscorer.... No one epitomizes the multinational character of Bosnia’s team as much as Vedad Ibišević who grew up in Switzerland first and later the US, where he learned most of his football. PSG discovered him and brought him to France, and he broke in his boots with their junior team and Dijon, before being spotted by about-to-emerge Hoffenheim where he moved to via Aachen.

Everyone remembers his performances and fantastic goal scoring during the 2008-9 season, where he was the Bundesliga’s unchallenged top scorer until his anterior cruciate ligament popped in a friendly match against HSV.

If not for this recurring injury, many scouts and pundits believe that the now 29 year old striker would have climbed to the top of Europe with his incredible nose for goal, touch and off the ball work. Although Edin Dzeko is now the star of the team, Ibisevic still bags a significant number of goals as for example he has had 33 in 65 games for Stuttgart and 20 for Bosnia. Look for him to score on the break with his excellent offside-trap beating skills or from both in and outside the box, as he is surpsingly agile and technical despite his 188 cm frame.

The young star… 22-year-old Izet Hajrović is just emerging on the football scene, but with a bang, as he has become one of the young stars of both Galatasaray and Bosnia within a couple of months. 

His stunning 25 meter strike against Slovakia for the national team is recognized as the decisive qualification moment, but it’s his surging runs, and snappy wing play that make him seem like a real asset for years to come. The Swiss-born youngster looks set to make a bigger contribution with every match, and he is very likely to feature in Brazil.

In bad form this season…. Adnan Zahirović was a key defensive mid player for Bosnia up until the end of 2013, but his bad form for club with Bochum in the 2.Bundesliga got mirrored for country and he has dropped of the roster. Although he played well for Bosnia he seems to have completely lost his confidence and could be swapped in time for the tournament.

In great form this season…. The central midfield mainstay of Hoffenheim and Bosnia Sejad Salihović is strong, has a superb long shot, and fantastic free kicks. He plays deep, yet has contributed 57 goals to Hoffenheim, and countless tackles in midfield and assists to his teammates. Another migrant, his parents settled in Berlin in 1992, and he holds German citizenship.

Candidate for discovery of the tournament…  The disciplined-yet-fearless young Sead Kolašinac is only 20, but looks quite an asset for Schalke and Bosnia. The young left back has an effective tackle, great speed, and is not afraid to surge forward as he showed time and time again in the Bundesliga this season, especially in his highly-rated performance against Bayern Munich. Having the very complete Kolasinac on the left means that Lulic could get a lot more attacking freedom, and quite a bit of crosses will never make it into the box.

Recognized player not likely to feature… He always looked 50, but Elvir Rahimić at 38 is no longer able to fill his box-to-box midfield role as he used to. 12 years with CSKA Moscow brought him 17 different trophies, and made him a legend of the Russian league, and Rahimic is slowly starting to give his unchallenged midfield anchor spot to younger players. 

Perhaps its this long sting that prevented younger players from developing into the midfield anchor role, and this position is now exactly Bosnia’s biggest gap.

Rahimic’s tactical sense, leadership, and footballing intelligence will very likely be missed this summer in Brazil. Will the coache’s young nephew Tino-Sven Susic step in to fill the void or will another young player give Bosnia the stability needed to enjoy attacking freedom at the World Cup stage?

The prospect of tomorrow… Born in Dubrovnik, Croatia to a Bosnian father and a Croatian mother Alen Halilović is no less than one of the most exciting young players in the world, and Barcelona signed him this spring even thought they had to fight to overturn the ban which UEFA placed on them temporarily. A superb young talent, the young player seems to have opted to play for Croatia despite his dad having been an important Bosnian star.

He played only in friendlies thus far, and Croatian youth teams, and although Bosnian fans still hope that the young star will choose Bosnia and invalidate his courtship with Croatia. Whichever team he chooses Halilovic is really one of the most convincing young prospects to emerge in the football world in recent years.¨

Another prospect that could just squeeze into the team is Armin Hodzic, a 19 year old technical forward still playing his football in Bosnia with Zeljeznicar. He is the second top scorer in Bosnia despite his young age, but it’s not so much quantity as quality that is exciting about this lad, perhaps it’s too early, perhaps not… Susic must decide.

Worth mentioning: Emir Spahić is the lynchpin of Bosnia’s defence, and team captain, Spahic made a reputation for himself in France with Montpellier, Spain with Sevilla and now Germany with Leverkusen as a tough-as-nails (often too much so) reliable defender who can else play security on the left (notably he contained Messi twice in a Sevilla shirt). His tackles are crisp, his marking suffocating, and he is a vocal and motivating captain for the national team.

The team against Egypt in February: 

Goalkeepers:  Asmir Begovic (Stoke City), Jasmin Fejzic (Aalen), Asmir Avdukic (Borac)

Defenders:  Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen), Toni Sunjic (Zorya), Sead Kolasinac (Schalke), Ognjen Vranjes (Elazigspor), Ervin Zukanovic (Gent), Ermin Bicakcic (Braunschweig), Mensur Mujdza (Freiburg), Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk)

Midfielders:  Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim), Miralem Pjanic (Roma), Izet Hajrovic (Galatasaray), Haris Medunjanin (Gaziantepspor), Senad Lulic (Lazio), Anel Hadzic (Sturm), Tino-Sven Susic (Hajduk), Zoran Kvrzic (Rijeka)

Strikers:  Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart), Edin Visca (Istanbul BB)

Could still make the squad…  Armin Hodzic who I mentioned before is in great form these last months, Ermin Zec is another technical wizard who succesfully plies his trade in the Turkish league, and could add an interesting zip and creativity to the attack, and Eldin Adilovic is a strong attacking forward who can serve as a double to Dzeko, many people believe Susic should take a third forward and any of these guys could squeeze in as the third forward for Bosnia.

A great team moment:  Hajrovic’s great strike against Slovakia sealed qualification, and the party started for the whole country.

A legend:  Elvir Bolić, Elvir Baljić, Hasan Salihamidžić and Sergej Barbarez I could not choose from, but these are the players the foundations of success were laid on for the current team.

Spahic and Misimovic are the players that link this second generation with the former one in the current team.

The group: 

Argentina (June 15th) – A baptism of fire for Bosnia, here their deep defence should help, but in order for substantial chances to be created Susic’s men will have to really prepare for this one. Needless to say they are fully expected to lose, but a surprise is not impossible.

Nigeria (June 21st) – The key match for both teams, a win here is vital to both for advancing, and will likely decide the number two spot in the group. Nigeria on a good day will be more than a match, especially later in the game when the physical levels of the teams will show. Nigeria taking Bosnia for granted could easily spell disaster for the African Champions and a great opportunity for Pjanic and company.

Iran (June 25th) – An interesting matchup,  tired Bosnian legs could give in here, Iran are good enough to win, but Bosnia are a team with clear advantages here. I actually expect this to be an entertaining encounter when looking at the two sides.

Pre-Tournament Friendlies:

Zvijezda Gradačac club team in Sarajevo on May 15^th

Ivory Coast May 30^th in St.Louis, Missouri US

Mexico June 3^rd at Soldier Field in Chicago

Santos club team in Sao Paulo on June 8^th

Prognosis: I predict Bosnia to be good enough for second, although it will be a very close run thing with Nigeria. Most importantly I think Bosnia will play well, and make an impact on the memories of this tournament regardless of how far they actually manage to get. If they fail it’s that defensive midfield spot that will have cost them.